


Snow

by MistressVanya



Series: Garden of Roses and War [2]
Category: Fire Emblem Heroes
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Can be platonic or romantic, F/F, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Light Angst, Mild Blood, Nightmares, Snowball Fight, They're acting like a child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-10 18:44:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15955259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistressVanya/pseuds/MistressVanya
Summary: “Don’t hide your face anymore, please?”





	Snow

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back again with another story. This time it's between Fjorm and Katja. This story happens around three or four weeks after Katja comes to Askr. I hope Fjorm doesn't look to OOC for you all. It's up to you whether to see their relationship as platonic or romantic. 
> 
> English is not my mother language, so I apologize deeply if there are any grammatical or spelling mistakes.
> 
> Best Regards,  
> Mistress Vanya
> 
>  
> 
> Mutti = Mother  
> Vatti = Father

“Oh, my little princess, my dear… One day you’ll become a true Snow White…”

“Mutti, I’m not Snow White. I’m Katja. Also, I think I’m too old to be called little princess?” Katja laughs in masked exasperation. Ah, the same old Mutti. Always passionate when it comes to Snow White to the point of obsession. Katja has no problem with that. After all, Snow White is very charming and lovely, what kind of woman doesn’t want to be charming and lovely? But she is Katja, and Katja will never be Snow White, because Katja is Katja.

Still, Katja just shrugs it off to please Mutti. She’s happy if Mutti and Vatti are happy.

“No, no, darling… I’ll make sure you will grow to be a Snow White… Mutti will do anything…” Astrid—Katja’s Mutti—pulls a kitchen knife from behind her back.

Katja’s already pale face turns paler. “Mutti, w-what are you doing?” She approaches her mother, aiming to take the knife away. “Mutti, please put it down…. It’s dangerous…”

Astrid shakes her head, pointing its tip to her belly. “Snow White becomes Snow White once her mother died… My existence here is just an obstacle for you to become a true Snow White. Thus… for your sake… I will be glad to take my life,” Her smile scares the hell out of Katja.

“Mutti, don’t… Please don’t… Don’t leave me alone again, Mutti—I beg you!” Katja kneels before Astrid, hands holding back the knife so it won’t plunge inside Astrid’s belly.

Astrid’s smile is painfully happy, considering she’s about to kill herself in front of her daughter. “Don’t worry, Katja… You’ll be a perfect Snow White…”

“Mutti, no—no!” Katja is close to bursting out crying as the tip of the knife inches closer to Astrid’s belly, no matter how hard Katja is holding it. How did Mutti becomes this powerful?

“Farewell, Katja…”

The knife plunges deeply inside Astrid’s belly, as blood spurts out from the wound, spattering Katja’s hand and face. She screams as loud as she could, seeing Astrid repeatedly stabs herself, as if one wound on the stomach isn’t enough.

“Stop!” All of her efforts have failed.

“Stop, please!”

“Mutti, stop!”

\---OooOooO---

“MUTTI!” Katja wakes up from her nightmare with a loud shout and hand grasps at thin air. She glances down at both of her hands, clean from any blood. Her entire body is shaking from the nightmare, as tears stream down her flushed and sweaty cheek. Katja hugs both of her legs, trying to calm herself.

“…It’s just a dream, Katja… A total nonsense… Only a dream… Mutti didn’t kill herself, Katja… She died from cancer… Yes, cancer… Not suicide…” She murmurs to herself, burying her face on her shaking knees.

“Lady Katja?” A knock on her bedroom door brings her back to reality. “Lady, are you okay? I heard screaming…” It was Oscar. Oh yes, tonight is Oscar’s turn to patrol the castle with Titania. Her scream before must’ve alerted Oscar, thinking that there is something wrong with her.

“Nothing, Oscar. Everything is fine,” She says, loud enough to be heard by him but not loud enough for Oscar to realize her trembling voice. Katja walks to the door, leaning on it so Oscar can hear her better. “Sorry for startling you. I’m okay,”

There is a few moments of silence from the other side, until Oscar’s voice answer her. “If that’s so, Lady. Please excuse me.” As his steps slowly fades away from the door, Katja allows herself to relax a bit and returns to her bed. Lately it has been quite chilly, as it near the end of autumn. Katja wouldn’t be surprised if she sees any snow in the next week.

Snow, huh.

It’s not like Katja hates snow. No, not at all. In fact, she loves snow so much. She remember playing in the winter with Mutti and the maids and her nannies. Little Katja grows up at Munich, Bavaria, until she’s nine years old, where they moved to Berlin due to her mother’s illness. Bavaria experiences coldest and longest winter than other State at Germany, thus making her quite resilient to cold. Little Katja (and adult Katja, too) always gets excited when winter comes.

Mutti always said before, that one day she’ll become a Snow White. Little Katja didn’t know what she meant back then. All she knew is that she’ll grow up beautiful like Snow White. That, until she was old enough to understand what her Mutti mean that day. Still, Katja shows no hatred towards snow at all. She still enjoys playing in the snow. Actually Katja is kind of excited about her first winter at Askr. Will it be colder? Will there be a lot of snowfall?

Though now, snow brings back her memories of her Mutti, and reminds her of herself. She did resembles Snow White, just like how Mutti wanted. Fair, almost pale skin like snow. Hair as black as ebony. And the last one, lips as red as roses, even without wearing any lipstick. What is different is the amount of freckles scattered along her nose, cheek, and other parts of her body.

Ever since she discovered what her Mutti meant by ‘becoming real Snow White’, she kind of hates her appearance. She dislikes her beauty, her dark ebony hair, her fair, pale skin, and her rose-red lips. Also, her beauty was the one which caused the hellish four years. Back at Manhattan, she could just direct other’s attention from her face to her voluptuous body and her nice fashion. Here, she couldn’t do that. Her dislikes towards her own face leads her to cover her face at Askr. Never once she did remove her hood, unless she’s alone in the privacy of her bedroom.

Katja barely know anyone passing the street of Manhattan. But at Askr, everyone who passes her will know and recognize her. Thankfully, none of the heroes mention about that. They just accept their Summoner hiding behind the hood.

She walks to the balcony, enjoying autumn’s cool breeze. Silently she hopes that snow will fall soon. Maybe it can erase her nightmare just know. What a nonsense, that nightmare. Mutti died from cancer, and she definitely didn’t kill herself just to achieve her dream of turning her daughter into a life-version of Snow White. Even in her deathbed, she’s still sputtering that wish to her.

“I would never be a Snow White, Mutti. I’m not a Snow White ever since my birth. I’m Katja.” She mutters to herself, running a hand through her greasy hair. Now that she already awoke from that nightmare, she couldn’t bring back herself to sleep. Well, Alphonse just need to deal with a sleep-deprived Summoner, then.

\---OooOooO---

She never thought about snow anymore, until they rescued the Princess of Nifl, Fjorm. Or Princess of Ice.

In winter. The time Katja has been waiting for.

From Katja’s eyes, Fjorm fits Snow White more than her, though without the physical resemblance to Snow White. And, her kindness. Oh, her kindness! Her homeland is being invaded, her mother killed, and her siblings were scattered. Still, she smiles that gentle smile and treats everyone with kindness. Katja isn’t sure she could be that kind if she is in Fjorm’s position.

Fjorm doesn’t cover herself. Fjorm doesn’t build a wall between herself and the others. She hides nothing from them. She’s the real princess, in Katja’s opinion. Not some fake, made up princess like her, just because her family was rich.

Katja hates herself for not being able to be like her.

She could be much more kinder to the other heroes.

She could, but she decided not too.

It’s better like this, no special attachment.

She doesn’t want to trust the wrong person.

\---OooOooO--

Fjorm exits her bedroom, ready to explore the castle of Askr, and patrolling at the same time. There is no single minute in which she doesn’t thank the Gods for being able to live another day and not dying in Surtr’s flame. Also, she’s been trying to talk to her savior, which is Askr’s Summoner. Outside the battle, they never talk in a casual way. The Summoner, Katja, also seems to distance herself from the other heroes.

But Fjorm is a stubborn and devout person towards her homeland traditions. She was saved by Katja from the snow, and now she owes her a debt or a favor. Yet, how is she supposed to repay Katja’s kindness if she never talk to her, and not the battle strategy one. Fjorm wants to have a conversation with her, where she probably can know more about Katja. However, every time Fjorm has the chance to talk to Katja, the latter is doing anything she can to avoid Fjorm.

The princess is sure that Katja means nothing bad. Maybe she’s just being shy? Yes, that must be. Katja must be a shy person. Thus, Fjorm has to approach her more gently than before, then tries to uncover what is behind the hood (literally and metaphorically). This time she is so determined to be Katja’s close friend.

She’s just about ask someone for Katja’s whereabout, until she find a familiar figure on the back garden of the Castle. It’s quite a remote place from the Castle building. A place where only several people would visit. Fjorm sighs softly, of course Katja would pick a place like this as her hideout. Carefully she walks towards the Summoner, being extra silent so she wouldn’t run away from her.

The garden itself is beautiful. An abandoned garden, for sure, but no less beautiful. There are broken fountain, ruins of pillars, and some winter bushes. There are also patches that surely will be flowers once Spring come. Several frozen bench and stone slab also adorn the garden. And there is she, the Summoner. However, she’s currently not like Fjorm expect her to be : covered with her hood and reading some kind of heavy book she borrowed from the library. Not at all.

The Summoner, clad in the winter version of her robe (longer and with extra furs), is playing with the snow. Even her usual hood is down, revealing her face, which in Fjorm’s eyes, is remarkably gorgeous. The one that would attract man and woman, and probably the princes. Why did she cover it with the hood in the first place? Fjorm doesn’t understand at all. But she looks really relaxed, playing with snow and making snow people. So this is Askr’s Summoner real self, under the hood and walls she always use to hide herself.

It’s now or never.

“Good afternoon, Katja,” Fjorm greets her gently after she stands a few feet from her.

She can see how surprised Katja is, judging from the jolt on her shoulder and a slight squeak (how cute) that escapes her throat. Fjorm feels a bit bad about surprising the Summoner, but Katja will run away if she realized Fjorm was there.

It is too late for Katja to avoid Fjorm, but not too late for her to quickly cover her face with her hood.

“No, please.” Fjorm holds her hand before she could completely cover herself. “Don’t hide your face anymore, please?” There is this pleading look on Fjorm’s face, one that Katja can’t refuse. She let Fjorm removes her hood, though her eyes are averted from the princess’ face.

“There, much more better.” The blonde smiles widely, and it’s very hard for Katja not to get infected by that smile.

“…what do you want?” Katja’s voice, soft and chirping like a songbird, greets Fjorm.

She shakes her head, still smiling. “Nothing. I just want to talk to you.”

Katja sighs softly and sits on the stone slab. She says nothing but her gesture invites Fjorm to sit beside her instead of standing. Fjorm complies, sitting on the stone slab with her body turned towards Katja.

“I… I never thank you properly for saving me that time.” A little blush spread over Fjorm’s cheek, both from the cold air and a bit of shyness. “I’m really grateful for you… For saving me. If you didn’t come at that time, surely I would be dead right now. But you helped me, gave me a chance to avenge what Surtr did to my kingdom… You gave me a chance to be alive once more, to get more friends and live happily… Thank you so much, Katja…” Fjorm even bows her head a bit, and that made Katja feels a bit awkward.

“N-no, it’s okay… I’m… I-I…” She gulps, both from nerve and embarrassment. “Y-you don’t have to… T-to do… that… I mean, I…” Katja is not good at making conversation topic. Hell, she is bad at this whole socializing and making acquaintances things. Especially with someone she just know like Fjorm. She rubs her nape awkwardly. “I mean… Uhh… I’m… I’m glad to help you, I… I don’t mind, you know… helping you… And you don’t… Don’t have to thank… me… for that?”

Halfway through Katja’s awkward speech, Fjorm already lifts her head again, and know is looking straight at Katja. Her facial expressions scream awkwardness and shyness right now. Fjorm’s smile grow even wider, who knows Askr’s Summoner is shy like this? Katja always seem so serious and cool in battle. Fjorm had put her in such a high pedestal before, due to her intelligence and bright mind. She even thought that the Summoner is unreachable, and she used to saw Katja as her superior.

But now, seeing this side of her… Fjorm definitely think she could befriend Katja, and become closer to her.

“Still, I want to thank you properly. Who knows what would happen if you didn’t come into this world.” She beams happily, holding both of Katja’s glove covered hand. “Thank you for being here… Thank you for coming to this world.”

Now, that’s new. Katja had received lots of grateful sentences from the villagers they saved, but they all thank her because she saved her. Fjorm, though. She thanks her just by her existence there. That’s all. Not because something she had done, simply by existing. And she said that with pure sincerity. Ah, sso sincere. Those words and sincerity touch deep inside her heart, and Katja feels a strange warmth she hadn’t felt for quite a long time.

The Summoner is too embarrassed to say anything now. Katja is blushing madly, even redder than when a handsome man once confessed his love to her. Now she’s thinking what can she do to repay Fjorm’s sincerity. She’s mubling something under her breath.

“Excuse me?” The blonde tilts her head when Katja muttered something inaudible. “What is it, Katja?”

“I-I said,” Katja gulps, trying to swallow all of her embarrassment. “D-do you want to play with snow… W-with me?” Oh, that was so hard to get out of her mouth.

The princess seems more excited than before. “Sure, why not? I love snow. Do you love snow, Katja?”

Does she love snow?

This time, Katja answers without any hesitation.

“Yes, I do.”

\---OooOooO---

They don’t remember how many minutes (minutes? Hours?) has passed since they started playing with snow like a bunch of little kids. Not like they care, anyway. At first they’re just making snow people or stacking snowballs. Until somehow Fjorm decided that throwing a snowball to a certain Summoner is a great thing, who didn’t see it coming and fell flat on her butt.

“You…” Katja growls, not unkindly. More playful.

And, it’s on.

Katja shapes a palm-sized snowball and throws it at Fjorm, who dodges it easily. She forgets that despite how she looked and acted before, Fjorm is in fact, an experienced fighter. Katja? Oh, just a normal business woman who prefers sleeping and eating (and whining about weight gain) instead of physical training. Of course she won’t stand a chance even in a simple snowball fight with Fjorm. Still, why not doing it just for fun? Katja doesn’t mind if she loses pathetically against the princess.

They’re laughing happily without any care about their surrounding. Katja tries her best to get more snowballs hit Fjorm than Fjorm’s hitting her, or at least dodging them and not get covered by snow from head to toe. She’s going to need a warm bath after this, to prevent cold. Winter is nice and all, until someone catches a bad cold.

Until at some point, Katja decides that it’s pointless to continue because she’ll lose one way or another.

“I yield, I yield!” She has both of her hands in the air as a sign of defeat. To ensure Fjorm that she indeed giving up and not trying to trick her, Katja runs closer to Fjorm. Alas, due to their snowball fight earlier, then snow on the ground is uneven. Katja might not a clumsy one, but she also doesn’t pay any attention to the height different.

The tip of her boots catch a small bump of rock covered by snow. Just when she’s this close to Fjorm. She lets out a loud ‘oomph’ at that. An attempt to regain her balance is failed because now her center changed and she’s falling backward instead of forward.

“Katja, careful!” Fjorm reaches her hand out at Katja, attempting to catch the Summoner. Yet, Katja is definitely heavier (especially in the bottom) than Fjorm, thus pulling the blonde with her.

“Wha--!”

“Ow!”

They topple on the snowy ground, with Fjorm above Katja. Thankfully, Fjorm doesn’t suffer from any pain since her face lands on Katja’s substantial bosom.

“I-I’m sorry!” Fjorm gasps, lifting her head from Katja’s chest, only to realize how close their face is. From this up close, Fjorm can see dusts of freckles on Katja’s cheeks and nose. Or the redness on her cheeks from the cold. Or how thick and long her eyelashes are.

“No, it’s should be me who is so… rry…” Katja too, can see more details on Fjorm’s face when they’re this close.

Silence ensues between both of them for a few moments, before embarrassment takes over them and they quickly separates from each other with blush all over their face. They look at anywhere except at each other. 

“…So,” It is Katja who tries to break the ice (not literally, thank you) between them. “That was fun…”

That get Fjorm to glance at Katja. She beams. “Yes, it was fun… Let’s do it again sometimes?”

Fjorm’s smile is so bright and infectious. This time Katja doesn’t hold herself back and return the smile with another beaming smile. “Sure, why not. I’d love to do it again.” Then Katja lies back on the snow, glancing at the blue sky. “Ahh, I will lose again, though. Fjorm you’re too strong…”

“Well… maybe?” The blonde giggles a bit. “Katja you should take off the hood more often… The others would be happy to see your face. Imagine Alfonse’s face when he saw how beautiful you are—mmph!” A gloved hand silenced her.

“Please, please don’t tell anyone about this, okay? I’m not ready… yet…” She has this pleasing look on her face. Fjorm makes an ‘ok’ gesture with her fingers. Only then Katja pulls her hand away and sighs softly.

She would love to tell Fjorm why she covers her face with the hood, but not now. She’s not ready yet. Not ready to open up to Fjorm. Maybe, maybe when they’re already a close friend… She’ll think again.

“What do you think about a warm bath?” Katja offers her, trying to change the subject.

“That would be lovely.”

\---OooOooO---

Alfonse sighs in relief at that scene. Yes, he’s been hiding there for quite a long time. Eavesdropping two ladies is not a proper thing to do for a prince, but Alfonse had been quite worried about Katja. Turns out, now he doesn’t need to worry anymore. Katja only need time, and friends to be there with her. Slowly, she’ll open up to everyone when she’s ready. There is no need to coax (force) her to mingle with other heroes. She’ll eventually do it on her own pace.

Oh, and Fjorm is right. Alfonse is mesmerized by Katja’s beauty.

But don’t tell anyone, okay? Especially Fjorm and Katja.

For now, let this be a secret.

 

 

_Epilogue_

“Ahh, the water sure feels nice…” Katja moans in pleasure as the warm water soothes her stiff muscles. Her eyes are closed as she leans back to submerge herself in the water until her chin. Beside her, Fjorm is in the same state. Relaxing in the water.

“I feel like I’m going to melt…” Not in a bad way, of course.

Seeing Fjorm this relaxed, a mischievous idea pops inside her head. Some kind of payback for the snowball fight earlier. Katja creeps out of the water silently, gathers enough water on her palms, before splashing it on Fjorm’s face.

“Payback!”

“Ah, Katja—no!”

And another playful fight ensues in the women’s public bath.

**Author's Note:**

> How is it? Tell me what you think? You could suggest me which heroes will I write next time. It doesn't have to be with Katja, as Katja can be both main protagonist or extra in the story. After all, 'Garden of Roses and War' series is a series for Askr with Katja as its Summoner. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this story! Please give me lots of love and kudos!


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